A Rainbow's Tale
by Cybernetic Pony
Summary: Kind of an argument against WoodenToaster's "Rainbow Factory", for those who prefer the light-hearted and carefree atmosphere of Cloudsdale.


When a community grows large, legends and conspiracies begin to spread. Cloudsdale, that great city in the sky, is no exception to the rule. It is common knowledge that Cloudsdale controls the weather in Equestria, and no pony can deny that they are effective. However, their methods have long been concealed, and conspirists often use this secrecy as justification for their theories. Needless to say, this often results in legends and tales of terror; and without any refuting evidence, these stories, commonly referred to as mare's tales, are believed to be true. For example, a tale told during a Nightmare Night festival in Hoofington years ago about a facility known as the Rainbow Factory has become the generally accepted theory explaining the formation of rainbows. Because the process of creating a rainbow is one of the most concealed secrets of Cloudsdale, the story of the Rainbow Factory evolved from an old campfire story into a popular conspiracy theory believed today by many ponies throughout Equestria.

But there is a valid explanation for Cloudsdale's refusal to release the details of its processes. "The basis for Cloudsdale secrecy is a scientific one," says weather researcher Thunder Cloud, "If we were to release the details of weather control, we would have unscheduled rainbows and storms popping up all over Equestria. The organization of weather is highly methodological; a change in the weather in any one area affects the balance of weather in all other areas. If an unscheduled storm were to come to Ponyville, for example, the entire schedule for Canterlot, Hoofington, etc. would have to be completely redone." In other words, the weather scheduling system is so closely knit that any change throws the whole thing out of balance. Although there have been cases where the Weather Patrol have made a mistake and had to redo the weather schedule, these have usually been minor and only required such minimal action as scheduling an additional storm.

However, even with this evidence, the process of creating a rainbow is still held in utmost secrecy. Without any refutory evidence, how can we be sure that such stories as that of the Rainbow Factory are not true? Clearly the only possible way to disprove the rumors is a tour through the facility. Data can be fabricated, personal accounts can be forced. When asked if such a tour would be possible, Captain Rainbow Dash of the Ponyville Weather Patrol said that such an arrangement would certainly be possible with the main development area, although the more experimental procedures in the Research and Development Department would still have to be kept secure and unreleased to the public. "That's where the real dangerous stuff happens," she explained when questioned about the R&D Department, "They make machines and devices that make the rainbows better, faster. Nearly everything you see and will see was made in there. That includes High-Pressure Compression Chambers, so you can see how danger is involved."

The following is the description of the mysterious Rainbow Factory as told by Washington Hooves, the representative chosen to take the tour offered by Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash greeted me as I walked into the lobby of Cloudsdale's Weather Center. She gave me a visitor's pass and led me through a hallway of clouds into a room in which clouds escaped from valves at the tops of several spires. She introduced me to one of the Pegasus ponies, Cloud Bolt, who was a member of the Weather Center's Board of Trustees. I asked him what he thought of the Legend of the Rainbow Factory, and he gave a slight chuckle.

"'It certainly isn't standard procedure,' he said with a laugh. Rainbow gave him a very serious expression and he seemed to regain his professional composure.  
"'Right, sorry,' he continued, 'There's certainly nothing of that nature here, I can assure you. In fact, the process of creating a rainbow may very well be more beautiful than the finished product, at least to a pony of a more scientific nature, like me.'

"I thanked Cloud, and Rainbow took me through another hallway into a room where Pegasi were carefully forming ice crystals into the familiar snowflake structures. She then took me to the Rain Factory, then into the employee break room. I asked her when she was going to show me the Rainbow Factory, and she pointed to a sign at the far end of the break room that had an arc and two clouds carve into it.  
"'I figured I'd show you the rest of the factory first, since it's on the way,' she responded as she led me toward the door. She allowed me the honor of opening it, which I took.

"I was amazed at what I saw next. In front of me was a rotunda with a large vat of liquid rainbow in the center. Large tubes stretched from it to the ceiling, channeling the motley substance outside. Glass tubes ran underhoof, transporting different substances from surrounding rooms into the central vat. All of them had at least a vaguely rainbow appearance, but none of them were anywhere near as colorful or bright as what was in the center vat. Rainbow smiled at me as I carefully examined the large room, staring in awe at the liquid that ran in the tubes surrounding me.

"Eventually she showed me the adjacent rooms, and the more I saw, the more amazed I became. In one they shot a strong powerful white beam of light through a prism, and the resultant spectrum was absorbed into a liquid substance that would not mix the colors and preserved the spectrum's brightness. In another they ran a similar spectrum through a device that liquefied the color but lost the luminance. Each room was dedicated to a separate aspect of a rainbow, each working in conjunction with one another to create pure, perfect beauty.

"As we left the Rainbow Room, Rainbow Dash asked me what I thought about it. I told her that it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, and she smiled and led me to a desk at the side of the hallway. Behind it stood a Pegasi with a wall-eyed stare and a whole shelf of bottles filled to the rim of liquefied rainbow. She gave me one and told me it was free for being the first person to take the tour. I took it gratefully, and we left the factory. We ran into Cloud Bolt, who asked me how I liked the tour. I told him he was right about the process being just as beautiful as the rainbow itself, and he gave a hearty laugh in response. He then told me that he had been planning to give tours of the factory for a long time but was unsure of how well they would be received, due to the rumors. I promised him I would publish my experience, and he thanked me. Rainbow then told me to keep the visitor pass and went back into the factory, and Cloud said his farewell before going back inside as well."

Afterword:

Washington now works as the chief executive of the Rainbow Room, and has recently informed me that he enjoys his position immensely, and that the tours have been made a permanent attraction of the Weather Center. According to Hooves, the factory is even more amazing now that he runs it then it had been previously, and assured me that the R&D Department had no torture devices in development and even explained how it would be impossible for such a mechanism to successfully create a rainbow. Thus one more fear of Equesrtria may be forever quelled.

Author's Note:

This story is intended to portray the tone of a reporter in Equestria addressing a topic of widespread terror. It is NOT intended to be written on my own voice. Please keep this in mind as you read.

Also, My Little Pony and all related characters (aside from Cloud Bolt, Thunder Cloud, and Washington Hooves), logos, etc. are copyrights of Hasbro. The "Legend of the Rainbow Factory" and most similar phrases are references to WoodenToaster's "Rainbow Factory" and "Awoken".

Also, this is not intended to, in any way, speak badly of WoodenToaster's work. It is only intended to offer a more lighthearted and realistic approach while still addressing the possibility of fear. I personally enjoy much of WoodenToaster's work and would recommend it to anyone who is interested.

Please rate and review! Your feedback gives me motivation and let's me know my strengths and weaknesses.

Cheers,

Cybernetic Pony


End file.
